Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-08-09
PAUPER TRAINING SHIP.
DAILY DUTIES OF THE LADS ON
BOARD THE ExMOUTH.
Six Hundred Smart Boys in Their Neat
Sailor Suits-Day's Work of a Bow
Whose Schooling Is Finfshed-Ths
Training.

Sailor suits-Dsy's Work of a Bow
| Whose Schooling is Finishet-Th.
| Training.
| 4 run Of little more than half an ho1r
| from Fenchurch street station brings Us TO
Grays As We walk down TO the river bank
the forest OF nasts is visible on our left in
| Tilbury docks, mile or two further down
stream We reach the bank and walk out
/ along the causeway toward the Exrnouth.
| which lies moored a cables length from the
| shore We push of in a cutter sent to meet
| Us, and in two minutes reach the ship. On
| the deck the whole ships company. some 600
| strong, is drawn up for inspection, half in
the port watch, the other half in the star
| board; each watch icing further sub-divided
| into three divisions.
At the first glance it is almost impossible to
realize that these smart lads, with their neat
sailor dress and their chevrons and gold lace
badges on the sleeves of their frocks, are
really paupers, after all A close observer.
however, notices in too many cases the deep
scars over the glands of the neck, the IN
| natural look Of the eyelids, or the dwarfish
appearance OF the square shoulders. which
tell Of neglect and privation in their earlier
years. But ct present the lads look the pic
ture OF rude health 1t is past I2 O'Clock,
though, the captain reminds us, and his crew
have been hard at work since 5:45, and. hav-
ing breakfasted at Z, are quite ready for an
other meal. Down below, on the main deck,
dinner is served as soon as the bows have
changed their parade uniform for their every
day suits They come in messes of twenty at
tables running out from the sides of the ship
toward the center TIE food is abundant
and good bread and butter and cocoa for
breakfast, fresh meat every day OF the week
at dinner and cocoa and bread and cheese for
supper. Indeed, were the dietary less nour-
ishing the boys would not be fit for the four
teen hours almost continuous hard work that
makes up their daily life.
The mess deck serves as dornitory as well
to some 200 of the boys The lower deck
sleeps" another 200 while the orIop deck
takes the rest. In the daytime tie lower
deck is the school room Here with the
different class rooms separated only by
canvas screens, the five schoolmasters
have to conduct their lessons as best
they can while gun drill or sword ex-
ercise is theoretically carried on over their
heads and the music OF the brass band or the
bagpipes floats up from the band room in the
hold below. Naturally enough, even the
sympathetic inspector Of the local govern
ment board cannot report that reading aloud
or writing from dictation is the strongest
point in the school course. But literary in
struction is rightly felt not to be the most im-
portant matter.
DAYS WORK
School work is much alike all the world
over. Let US follow the days work Of q
passed OUT boy-one, that is, whose school,
ing is finished. He is reused by the bugle cali
at 5:45 a. m. By o'clock his hammock has
been dashed up and slowed away. and be is
ready to take his share in giving the ship its
morning cleaning from stem to stern This
lasts until s o'clock; in the meantime the boy
has had his own scrub from head to foot in
warm water, followed by plunge into a cold
bath afterwards, and got his breakfast At
$50 the whole crew parade, and are inspected
by the captain Orders are given out, punish
ment for offenses Of the day before are, if
necessary, inflicted. Prayers follow at
o'clock, and then till noon instruction in sea-
manship. From IL till is play time, then
seamanship again till 4:S0 From 80 till
o'clock supper and play. Then another three
quarters of an hours work, except two days
band takes its place; till, finally, at 7:45, the
bugle sounds to get up hammocks again By
o'clock prayers have been said, boys have
turned in lights Except in the officers cabins)
ara out, and half the boys are fast asleep.
To lands1nan the number of subjects in
Guided in the training Of sailor is bewilder-
ing. The ships regulations CLASSIFY them
under sixteen heads. Cooking, carpentering, |
tailoring, each Of which is supposed TO be
enough for one man on shore, are Just thrown |
in as mskeweights On the Exmouth every |
thing seems to be going on at once. There is |
one class busy with big gun drill, a second |
with cutlaSses, and a third with carbines In |
one corner is a knot OF boys clustered round |
the compass and mastering the mystery of its |
thirty-two points Close by is model OF |
full rugged ship, and boys are learning the |
name OF each spar and rope, from cathead to |
mizzenshrouds. Overhead sails are being |
loosed reefed, furled, or unbert; while round |
the ship the water is alive with boats whose |
crews are practicing rowing, sailing and |
steering On fine evening boat race is |
grand excitement. The course is round two |
marks and back to the ship, unlimited foul |
ing being permitted Nor are the boys con-
fined TO rowboatS A sailing tender, a 100 |
ton brigantine Is attached to the ship, and |
cruises about the mouth of the river from /
Monday TO Saturday during the summer,
with crew of two men and thirty boys
Foreign Letter.